Process for the manufacture of phosphorus, phosphoric acid, &amp;c.



W. H. WAGGAMAN, C. R. WAGNER & H.' BRYAN. PROCESS ron THE MANUFACTURE OF- FHOS'PHORUS,

I PHOSPHORIC ACID, & c. APPLICATION man NOV- 12.1917.

Patented 0ct.29,1918.

WILLIAM H. WAGGAMAN, CARY R. WAGNER, AND HARERY BRYAIT, OF WASHINGTON,

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

rnocnss roa THE MANUFACTURE or PHOSPHO'RUS, rfiosrHoRIc A011), 8w.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented o t; as, rare.

Application filed November 12, 1917. Serial No. 201,634.

(DEDICATED TO THE PUBLIC.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownsthatwe, \VILLIAM H. \VAG- GAMAN, CARY R. \Vacxnn, and HARRY BRYAN, all citizens of the United States and employees of the Department of Agriculture of the United States of America, residing in the District of Columbia, (whose postoffice address is ashington, District of Columbia) have invented a new and use ful Process for the Manufacture of Phosphorus, Phosphoric Acid, and Compounds of the Same.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, chapter 143 (22 Stat, 625), and the invention herein described and claimed may be used by the Government of the United States or any of its oflicers or employees in the prosecution of work for the Government, or any person in the'United States, without payment of any royalty thereon.

Our invention relates to a process for making phosphorus, phosphoric acid and compounds of the same, and has for its object the production of such products and compounds more expeditiously and economically than heretofore.

With'these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel combination of agents and procedures as will be more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims. This process is designed to be used in an apparatus ha ingthe main features of that described in United States Patent No. 1,241,791. issued jointly to us under date of October 2, 1917.

In order that the precise invention may be more clearly understood. and distinguished from the prior art, it is said: It is a Well-known fact that phosphorus and phosphoric acid can be volatilized from its compounds by submitting an intimate mixture of coke, silicious material and the phosphate material to the action of a high heat. It is generally believed, however, that the complete or nearly complete evolution of the phosphorus or phosphoric acid cannot be effected except at the high temperatures at-- tainable only in an electric furnace. Since the electrical heating of low-grade materials and the recovery thereby of relatively low-priced roducts may-in some instances be commerclally impracticable, it is highly desirable that such material be handled in I a furnace Where the cost of making the desired product is much cheaper than in an electric furnace. Although it has been stated that phosphorus and phosphoric acid can be only partially freed from their compounds 1n a fuel-fed furnace of the ordinary blast furnace type, the inventors have found that ninety per cent. or more of these materials can be volatihzed from mixtures of phosphate rock, silica and coke at temperatures far below those attained in a blast furnace,

cut of the charge and burned by means of air or oxygen in any well known manner, the heat produced being transferred to the charge causing the evolution of phosphorus or phosphoric acid from their compounds.

The furnace designed for this urpose and described in detail in Patent 0. 1,241,791 is of such a type that the phosphorus and phosphoric 'acid may be driven off as soon as they are freed from their compounds and led out of the reaction zone Without being forced to pass through a column of green charge which is often composed of such finely divided material as to offer considerable resist ance to the passage of the gases of combustion and volatilized products.

The accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification shows a vertical sectional view of the apparatus built to. carry out our invention. The charglng bell 1 is of the conventional design ordinarily ed at 3' in order that the charge may not Work down through the shaft too rapidly.

The lower end of the charge chamber 2, is l seine distance above thehearth or base of the furnace, the walls 3 of said chamber being supported on the arches or piers 4. The platform 5 receives the materials as, they are continuously discharged from the chamher 2. The burners 6 supply heat to the furnace. Said burners may be for 011, coal,

gas or any other well known fuel. The flame drawn through the exit pipe 10 in the upper part of the chamber 9.

The process of operating consists in allowing the charge of phosphate, silicious material and coke to feed down through an inner or charge chamber upon a table where it is heated by means of burning fuel, such fuel being either mixed with the charge or introduced from an outside source. The products of combustion and the volatilized products are then led out through a chamber surrounding the charge chamber and the phosphorus and phosphoric-acid recovered in some suitable manner.

Having thus described our invention, we claim: v v

1. The process of obtaining phosphorus or its compounds from mineral phosphate-containlng material which, comprises mixing such material with silica and carbonaceous matter, feeding a column of the mixture to a zone of combustion, maintaining a temperature of incandescence in said zone of combustion, passing the products of combustion around the oncoming charge but out of contact therewith whereby the charge is pre- V heated but no phosphorus is deposited therein and collecting phosphorus compounds from the volatile products.

2. The process of obtaining phosphorus or containing material which comprises mixing such material with silica and carbonaceous matter, feeding a column of such charge into a heated zone While maintaining a. temperature of incandescence in said zone its compounds from mineral phosphateby the combustion therein of fuel, passing tures in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. WAGGAMAN. CARY R. WAGNER. HARRY BRYAN. Witnesses:

J. P. SOHROEDER.

T. R. LE COMPTE. 

